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“the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, tho' by Laga "Perfons, or Hereticks, or Schifmaticks they "refus'd to give fuch Perfons Catholick Baps "tifm, at the Hands of thofe who were du

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ly authoriz❜d by the Divine Commiffion: Be "cause they reckon'd any Baptifm with Water tt in the Name of the Trinity, by whomsoe "ver adminifter'd, to be that One Baptifm "which ought not to be repeated; But 66 yet, at the fame time, they esteem'd fuch "a Baptifm in fome Measure Invalid, till it " was perfected, or rather mended, by Impo "fition of the Bishop's Hands. And for this they bring the Council of Eliberis, Anno 305. Can. 38. (See Prelim. Difc. pag. 11.)" And "becaufe that Council requir'd the Lay-Bap "tiz'd Person to be prefented to the Bishop, "to be PERFECTED by Impofition of "Hands; thence they conclude, that there "was a Partial Invalidity in the Baptifm be"fore but that it was made wholly Valid by "Impofition of Hands,

But this is only Gratis Dictum: For the Pri mitive Church when the refus'd to give a Second Wafbing, refufed it upon this Account, That the esteem'd the Baptifm before to be The One Valid Baptifm; and the Impofition of Hands enjoyn'd by Her, was no other than that which was ufed, either at the Confirmation of all other validly Baptized Perfons, or elfe at the reftoring of Returning Penitents, and to the fame Ends and Purpofes; not with any De

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fign to give an Effential and Total Validity to that Act of Baptifm which had an Effential Invalidity before: And this is what is meant by PERFECTED in the Council of Eliberis, viz. That the Baptiz'd Perfon fhould be Confirm'd by the Bishop, as all other Baptiz'd.Christians us'd to be; because, all Valid Baptisms were reckon'd by the Church, to be confummated and finish'd by Confirmation, or Impofition of the Bishop's Hands, which in thofe Days was immediately perform'd after Baptism, or as foon after as poffibly could be.

For thefe Gentlemen to fay, that the Ancients reckon'd any Baptifm with Water in the Name of the Trinity, by whomsoever adminifter'd, to be that One Baptifm which ought not to be repeated, is a great Mistake; for the Cyprianifts and the Eastern Churches affirm'd ́and practis'd otherwife; and particularly in the t Baptism of the Montanifts, who, tho' they were Wafh'd in or with Water, in the Name of the Trinity, were not admitted into the Church without a Second Baptifm. And St. Bafil, St. Chryfoftome, and the Catholicks after the Nitene Council, condemn the Baptifm of Laymen as Null and Void, tho' they were done with Water in the Name of the Trinity; and fo do the Apoftolic Canons, the Baptifm of Hereticks, as is plain by the Inftances in my Preliminary Difcourfe. But to tell us, that the Primitives call'd fuch Heretical and Schifmatical Baptisms as were not repeated, and fuch

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fuch Lay-Baptifms as they had by Canon allow'd,partly Invalid, and that they made them totally Valid by Impofition of the Bishop's Hands, is to impofe upon us very great Inconfiftencies. For, if(as we all agree) there be but one Baptifm, it must certainly be that which has no Invalidity, being Administer'd exactly according to the Effentials of the Inftitution; and therefore thofe other Baptifms which are not fo Adminifter'd,and are therefore confeffedly imperfect and partly Invalid, muft be of another kind diftinct from that One True -Baptifm, and this will introduce Two Sorts of Baptifms in the Chriftian Church; which -is utterly contrary to their own Affertion, as well as that of the Holy Scripture, which acknowledges no more than One Baptifm for the Remiffion of Sins; and confequently these imperfect Baptifms are no Baptifms at all, and fo are entirely void, and of no effect. And indeed, to allow the Contrary, is in effect to deftroy the whole Ministry of the Chriftian Priesthood; and-to open a Door of Licentiouf nefs to all Intrudors into that Sacred Office, and thereby put every Man upon a Level, in fomuch that at laft all may fet up for them felves, and refufe to give any regard or attention, any deference or refpect to our blessed Lord and Mafter, in the Perfon of his Authoriz'dAmbaffadors and Ministers; for where will the Confufion end, if every Man may be ¡uppos'd capable of giving Valid Baptism? Will they

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they not argue; What need we attend upon others for thefe Miniftrations, when we have as much Valid Power therein as themfelves? If our Baptifms are Valid, fo may our Admi niftrations of the Lord's Supper, and much more our Preaching to, and Teaching fuch People, as we can gather to our felves. If Validity may be allow'd to all thefe, by whom foever Administer'd, then farewel all Rule and Order in the Church; and Chrift's setting fome therein; Firft, Apostles; Secondarily, Prophets, &c. for the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Miniftry; and his promiling to be with them to the End of the World, was to no purpofe. And it will not ferve, to fay, that fuch Men will be guilty of Sin in thofe Ufurpations, except we fay alfo, that their Authoritative Acts of Miniftring in what they call the Holy Sacraments are Sins too, and confequently, contrary to the Inftitution of the Real Sacraments, and therefore of no effect to convey the Supernatural Graces and Benefits annex'd to them: For, if ever Men can be once perfwaded, that any unauthoriz'd Perfon can by means of the mere Opus: Operatum, of what they call Sacraments, convey thofe unfpeakable Advantages which are: annex'd to Real Sacraments, it will be in vain, FOR YOU TRUE MINISTERS to tell them of the Sin of Ufurping the Sacred Office, when you in effect affure them, that every Chriftian can Validly Exercife it; and as fruit

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lefs will it be, to preach to them the Danger of Schifm, or caufelefs Separation from the Church, when you, by allowing the Validity of their Uncommiffioned Teachers Ministrations of fuppos'd Sacraments, give them an Argu ment to confound all that you fhall fay for their Conviction, by your affirming that their pretended Sacraments are as true, and effectual as your authoriz'd Adminiftrations; and that, (fince they thereby receive as much Spiritual Benefit as others do by yours, because God as much concurs with fuch their Sacraments, as with thofe Minifter'd by you) your charging them with Schifm in adhering to Minifters who have no Divine Miffion is ridiculous and nonfenfical because, they have ALL as Valid a Cammiffion as your own, which you your felves must needs grant, by allowing the Validity of their fuppos'd Sacraments. Nay further, if it be al low'd that fuch their Sacraments are Valid, then, any Excommunicated Perfón (tho? never Authoriz❜d by a Divine Commiffion) if he can but gather a Congregation to himself, may fet up for a Valid Minifter, and even they who know this, may receive Kalid Sacraments at his Hands, if the want of a Divine Miffion in the Adminiftrator does not Invalidate the Sa craments: Which is a Confequence fo horrids and attended with fuch infinite Confusions, that it fhould make fober Chriftians even tremble to think of it. And this brings me to my laft Proposition, vzz.obrog

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